Untitled (Sailboat) 1954

Worden Day’s undated ‘Untitled (Sailboat)’ presents us with a landscape rendered through broad areas of muted color, primarily earth tones punctuated by strokes of dark blue. Note how the composition is structured around strong horizontal lines, which demarcate the sky, cliffs, beach, and sea. This division creates a sense of layered space, yet the flatness of the color application simultaneously flattens the perspective, drawing attention to the surface of the print. The boats, rendered with bold outlines, seem almost collaged onto the scene, disrupting any illusion of depth. The structure of the cliffs appears in the background in a similar style, with the arch looming over the boats, but never creating a full illusion. This tension between flatness and depth, between representation and abstraction, embodies the artistic explorations of its time. The interplay between geometric structure and representational form invites us to consider how meaning is constructed through visual language. The work challenges our perception, reminding us that what we see is not a direct reflection of reality but a carefully constructed interpretation.